Spielberg & Kushner's Munich '72 / Israeli vengeance film

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (565 of them)

i agree largely with Allyzay's reading, except i would want to argue that the film situates itself as being about ww2 and fallout (ie, 20th century)--or the problem of "modernity" and violence, etc.

in other words, yeah it's about violence and revenge, but it's not trying to be Aeschylus.

― ryan (ryan), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Of course it's about universal human issues AND the Israel-Palestine situation. That it was made by the guy who, well, 'popularized' the Holocaust in this generation, and was lionized by many Zionists for it, suggests that the specific situation is relevant.

I was shaking at the end of the film, feeling mournful and depressed in a way that wasn't touched by A History of Violence, to name a stylistically dissimilar film that trivialized the Cycle of Slaughter theme.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 16:34 (seventeen years ago) link

A History of Violence kind of left me cold, I definitely feel like more of Munich stuck with me. Granted, I've seen one far more recently than the other but most people are pretty intuitive about such things; I remember being underwhelmed when I left the theatre.

Interesting comparison in terms of themes, that one didn't occur to me at all (insert joke about immemorability here). Even down to the contrasting semi-bookend sex scenes being used to illustrate the downward spiral!

― Allyzay Rofflesbot (allyzay), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 22:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Irrespective of their sociopolitical contexts, Munich and AHOV moved me in different ways. If I liked AHOV more, maybe it's cuz I have a weakness for male revenge psychodramas.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 22:15 (seventeen years ago) link

morbius mccarthy WAS evil, or at the very least malicious and destructive. do you seriously debate that?

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 22:16 (seventeen years ago) link

If I liked AHOV more, maybe it's cuz I have a weakness for male revenge psychodramas.

Haha this doesn't explain anything to me! ;)

― Allyzay Rofflesbot (allyzay), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 22:19 (seventeen years ago) link

ugh, AHOV was a complete dud. As shallow as GNGL and really really weak as a b-movie revenge flick.

― milo z (mlp), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 00:24 (seventeen years ago) link

It was a well-acted, overdirected b-movie, which was fine by me.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 00:26 (seventeen years ago) link

dood william hurt and ed harris were fucking awesome... "Joey"

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 00:32 (seventeen years ago) link

'a history of violence' is great!

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 02:30 (seventeen years ago) link

and not a revenge flick

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 02:32 (seventeen years ago) link

Not really but it definitely is what Morbius claims.

Ed Harris and William Hurt were definitely the best parts of the movie; I think part of the reason the film ultimately left me cold was that I just didn't like Viggo and wifey at all. AHOV does a fantastic job atmosphere building, Harris esp. is totally creepy and tense-creating.

― Allyzay Rofflesbot (allyzay), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link

also howard shore's score >>>>>>>>> john williams' score

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 04:22 (seventeen years ago) link

I think part of the reason the film ultimately left me cold was that I just didn't like Viggo and wifey at all

The relationship (esp the sexual) b/w Viggo and Maria Bello was the most compelling part of the movie.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 11:47 (seventeen years ago) link

morbius mccarthy WAS evil...do you seriously debate that?

No, I don't want to see a 90-minute "earth not flat" film either.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 12:29 (seventeen years ago) link

I felt like it should've been more compelling, but it just...didn't do it for me. I really just didn't like them. The movie was well made and interesting but I didn't have much interest in either of the married couple; which is odd because clearly the tension and menace all surrounds Viggo's identity so I can't quite put my finger on why I felt all of that yet had such little interest in him.

It is thoroughly possible that my dislike for Viggo (and Eric Bana, for that matter, they kind of are similar in my mind) colors perceptions here!

otm on score.

― Allyzay Rofflesbot (allyzay), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 12:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Can't remember a note of Shore's music. I think scoring the Dungeons & Dragons trilogy may have sent him down the chute.

Munich shows that the international death industry, presumably motivated by nationalism and securing the primal hearth, is actually just a big unstoppable economy (feeding families like "Papa" Michel Lonsdale's).

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 13:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Haha that seems akin to me to not wanting to see a 90 minute "earth not flat" film though! ;)

I liked that angle and the interactions with the family but I was half expecting Papa to come down with a heart attack during the idyllic countryside dinner sequence. Some of the shots were soooo similar, I am half curious if it was purposeful because of the inevitable comparison that would be made there regardless.

― Allyzay Rofflesbot (allyzay), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 13:10 (seventeen years ago) link

twelve years pass...

What a film -- my first viewing since 2006.

― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 30 April 2019 02:22 (five years ago) link

Spielberg had a pretty interesting run in the oughts: AI/Minority Report/Catch Me If You Can/War of the Worlds/Munich. (Didn’t see The Terminal)

― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Tuesday, 30 April 2019 02:34 (five years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.